Hi! I'm new here, obviously. I'm 20, and I've been on the depo shot for about 2 years. When I started the BC I was about 115-120 lbs. Now I'm nearing 150. I'm looking for a way to shed at least some of these pounds!

I am looking for some opinions on losing weight while remaining on the shot. I wonder, is it possible? I've done some searching and it seems that everywhere I look, ladies have had to stop taking the shot before they could drop the weight.

I live in an apartment, so I have access to weights, stairsteppers, treadmills, etc. I try to go 2-3 times a week when I have a chance and either just run or do ride the stationary bicycle. During this whole time I've also been working as a valet attendant, running every day. It's not that I'm out of shape in the least bit.

It seems the entire weight gain has gone to my stomach. Well about 80% of it. And it also seems that every time I have managed to lose any weight at all, it's always off my legs. Is there anything that I could do to center the weight loss on one specific area?

Sorry for so many questions but I am anxious to get started, and this is the first time in my life I've ever even considered any kind of diet. Thanks for any help and advice you can share!

Unfortunately, spot reducing isn't possible. If it were, I am sure everyone of us would look different than our genes make us look!!

I don't know if it is possible to lose weight on the depo shot. I think you should talk to your physician about it. Maybe there is a new alternative that you might like (like the patches) that doesn't cause this side effect for you.

Good luck.

The miracle is not that I finished the race, it is that I had the courage to start. --John Bingham and Steffeysue

I have heard that while on the "Depo" a woman is expected to gain ten pounds in the first year. That is the only thing that prevented me from using it. Oh well, I suppose any birth control will do that... I know when I first started using the pill, I gained five pounds in water alone! But I would rather have five pounds of water than a baby right now

I was on the depo shot for about 4 years total. I noticed that when I was on it I put on about 50 pounds, then when I came off it, I went back to my previous weight of about 115. I then had my daughter, and then went back on the depo, and put on the 50 pounds again. I recently came off the shot again, and have noticed that the weight is coming off. I believe that the shot was responsible for the extra weight. I talked to me doctor about the weight, and she said it was normal, but it also makes it harder to lose weight while on it. So hang in there, if you want to stay on the shot. Realize that when you come off the shot, within about 6 months you will find that you are back at your previous weight. That's what I know from my experience with the shot. I also know that I am not going to go back on it again, just because of the weight gain. Hope this helps you, Tiffany

I'm really against the Depo shot. I was on it for about two years, and gained about 40 pounds. Unlike some women, the weight didn't just melt off for me, either. Some women have a real battle losing the weight, and I'm one of them. The weight gain problem doesn't happen to me on the pill, just with the shots.

Depo has also been shown to cause severe, early-onset bone density loss problems that can lead to osteoporosis in young women. The more research comes out on the stuff, the less I'd want to still be on it.

I am 22 and have been on the depo for a year and 3 months and I have gained 60 pounds...I have been trying to lose weight and I can't seem to do it. I will lose almost 10 pounds then it comes right back on...I don't know what I am doing wrong :/ I work out and eat healthy and count calories but it all seems useless. What should I do!?

Hey Sjcorrea0831,
It sounds like gaining weight is a very common side effect of the depo shot! Have you talked to your doctor about alternate options for BC that may not have such extreme side effects?